Earth Observation Satellite Data Emerges as Critical Tool for Achieving UN Sustainable Development Goals

Earth observation satellite data is transforming how nations monitor environmental changes and track progress toward the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. These satellites provide high-frequency, expansive datasets that are revolutionizing environmental monitoring, ecosystem health assessment, and natural resource management. The journey toward achieving these global goals faces a critical data gap, as 35% of SDG indicators lack adequate data, making traditional collection methods insufficient for capturing poverty complexities or tracking sustainable progress.

A pioneering study from Tsinghua University's Department of Earth System Science, published in Journal of Remote Sensing, delves into this challenge using advanced bibliometric analysis. The research, available at https://doi.org/10.34133/remotesensing.0403, reveals an impressive surge in EO satellite data usage over the past three years, with publications increasing from 45,673 to 59,703 between 2020 and 2023. Key satellites including Landsat, MODIS, and Sentinel stand out for their pivotal roles in driving climate action and conserving biodiversity.

The findings demonstrate that Sentinel and Gaofen satellites have experienced remarkable growth in demand, with Sentinel surpassing MODIS in recent years. Open-source datasets, particularly Landsat and MODIS, dominate the research landscape, while Sentinel-related publications soared from 2,702 in 2020 to 7,231 in 2023. Big data cloud platforms like Google Earth Engine have accelerated data processing and analysis, highlighting the growing significance of open data policies and cross-platform collaboration.

Geographically, China has overtaken the United States to become the global leader in EO satellite data research output. The research team meticulously curated literature from the Web of Science Core Collection and utilized advanced bibliometric tools like CiteSpace and VOSviewer to map emerging trends from 2020 to 2023. The Remote Sensing Impact Factor metric was recalibrated to incorporate the latest data, providing a more accurate measure of research impact.

Experts emphasize that EO satellite data creates powerful synergies across multiple SDGs, with Sentinel satellites simultaneously driving progress in marine ecosystem monitoring and climate adaptation, while Landsat data enhances food security and water resource management. Looking ahead, satellites like Sentinel, Landsat, MODIS, Gaofen, and ALOS are poised to remain vital in the EO data landscape over the next five years, with technological innovations and new satellite launches intensifying the value of EO data for global environmental monitoring.

Advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and collaborative frameworks are set to unlock even broader applications of EO data, propelling humanity closer to the 2030 sustainability targets. The growing potential of earth observation technology underscores the urgent need for deeper exploration into data applications to bridge critical information gaps and accelerate sustainable development achievement worldwide.